-We apologize for the lateness of the delivery of this issue of BTAN. The Christmas/New Year’s season really got in the way of the deliveries and as news was slow-to-non-existant and most people were away from their computers, we figured this wouldn’t cause problems. Nonetheless, we humbly apologize for any inconvenience. Our next delivery will be on January 15, 2001.

-BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR ‘RETURN OF THE JOKER’ GIVEAWAY! SCROLL DOWN TO JUST BELOW OUR EPISODE REVIEW FOR DETAILS!

-WE HAVE ALSO INCLUDED OUR FORM FOR THE “GOLDEN OVAL AWARDS”, OUR VERSION OF THE “BEST/WORST OF 2000” POLLS THAT ARE RUNNING RAMPANT ACROSS THE NET RIGHT ABOUT NOW. BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND VOTE – THERE JUST MIGHT BE A CERTAIN UNEDITED VIDEO IN IT FOR YA!

Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton-still hung over____________________________________________________________________EAGERLY ANTICIPATING…New episodes are on the horizon! Here’s what we can expect in the near future…

UNMASKEDBatman Beyond #??Air date: ???Synopsis: A little kid gets a glimpse of the face under the Batman mask.

Kids’WB! currently airs BATMAN BEYOND five or six times a week. Batman airs on weekday afternoons Monday-Friday, as well occasionally Friday morning before Pokemon. Remember, Kids’WB! is notorious for switching schedules around at the very last minutes. Batman Beyond currently airs at 11am (ET) on Saturdays and 4:30pm (ET) on weekdays. Check out these links if our schedule is not 100% updated:

NOTE:If our schedule is not updated, then go to the following URL. It will ALWAYS contain the most up-to-date schedule possible.//www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Taping/2928/airdate.htm

THIS WEEK:Mon 01-01-01: NONE

Tue 01-02-01: NONE

Wed 01-03-01: B-BEYOND #08 Heroes

Thu 01-04-01: B-BEYOND #07 Meltdown

Fri 01-05-01: B-BEYOND #36 Payback

Sat 01-06-01: B-BEYOND #37 Sentries of the Lost Cosmos

NEXT WEEK:Mon 01-08-01: NONE

Tue 01-09-01: B-BEYOND #40 Ace in the Hole

Wed 01-10-01: B-BEYOND #11 A Touch of Curare

Thu 01-11-01: B-BEYOND #?? Betrayal

Fri 01-12-01: B-BEYOND #?? Speak No Evil

Sat 01-13-01: B-BEYOND #?? Big Time

All episodes #86 and onward of BATMAN are considered THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES while the original 85 are considered BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS) episodes._____________________________________________________________________CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE(BATMAN and BEYOND on YTV)(courtesy of our friends at YTV)

YTV currently has the rights to air all 109 episodes of Batman, as well as the current 52 episodes of Batman Beyond. YTV usually airs these episodes in either chronological order, or in the original order they aired on Kids’WB! and FOX. Batman now airs at 3:30am Monday – Friday. (Actually, more correctly, they seem to be airing them at 3:40 am – go figure.) If our schedules are not updated or are inaccurate, please use these links:

WANNA GET BTAS ON AT A BETTER TIMESLOT ON CANADIAN TELEVISION?(courtesy of subscriber “Carlos O”)

“The current BTAS timeslot is too late for me and I’m sure it is for many others. I tried e-maling them asking if that timeslot was going to change and they said they can’t change it for now. However, if they recieved enough demand to move the show to an earlier timeslot, they would definitely consider it – that’s what they said. It’s kind of hard for me to let this oportunity go by since this is the only way many of us can catch this show (as most Canadians don’t receive the CARTOON NETWORK).”

That’s a very good point, Carlos. If there are any Canadian Bat-fans reading this that want BTAS to be back on at a more reasonable timeslot (it used to be on at 7:30 am and then it was moved to Noon), go to //www.ytv.com, then to the HELP section, and then to the CONTACT US section. E-mail them (politely but in a demanding manner) and hopefully something will be done!

Anyhow, the original BTAS series is still airing, and it will be shown as follows:

Cartoon Network has the right to air all 109 Batman episodes, as well as all 54 Superman episiodes. Come September, Cartoon Network will begin airing these. Shows. Batman currently airs during the weekday Toonami block at 6:30pm (ET). Superman will soon have a set airdate as well. Since Cartoon Network is unpredictable with their schedules, we are unable to keep up with them. Please, use these links to find out the schedule information you need:

The creative team for this column alternates between Zanna and Justin Chen, two loyal subscribers and great friends of ours here. Any other reviews printed here are written by editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton. Enjoy!

Just as in , we are providing a review of BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER. However, this time it is co-editor Dick Grayson doing the honours, and it is of the unedited version.Enjoy!

DA REVIEW:

BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER is one of those movies that make it great to be a Batfan. Batman is one of the few characters who is actually perceived best in the cartoon format (excluding the comic) than any other of the huge media formats that have tried their hand at him. Movies? As we got to BATMAN & ROBIN, you can just tell they didn’t care about the property one bit, especially with that nipple fetish. The Cartoons got him dead on. First Batman. Then Superman. The the futuristic animated Spin-off, Batman Beyond. This movie can count as either the first Batman Beyond movie, or the third animated Batman movie, after BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM and BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO. I like to count it as a movie all on it’s own, foregoing and comparisons to the two other animated movies starring the original Dark Knight. But since they threw in the flashback seqeunce, I just gotta.

The movie starts out with Batman foiling a Jokerz heist, but it’s a new gang who have been stealing big pieces of technological equipment, not the usual cashcards and jewelry – but why? Batman is able to foil them in a spectuacular fight scene in which Batman just takes down the thugs that keep on coming. I like the fact that these Jokerz didn’t fall after one punch, but kept on coming back, as well as double teaming him. One the TV show usually they fall one by one, but these guys just kept on comin’, and they get away, too – but without their machines and whatnot.

We have a couple brief scenes in between the next action peice. There is a brief scene in the cave where it’s revealed that Bruce is back as the head of Wayne Powers, after Paxton’s departure in KING’S RANSOM; series newcomer Jordan Pryce isn’t too happy about that either, since he was next in line. Terry then heads out to the clubs with Dana where he promptly falls asleep. When then cut back to the Jokerz gang’s hideout and meet their new leader – none other than the Joker himself! It seems he’s back (and tanned, rested, and ready to give this town a wedgie again) and he means business. After some resistance from Bonk (which he pays for), he is ready to head out and attempt to get that equipment he needs, and after reading a computer readout on the places that have it, he knows exactly where he wants to get it.

The Joker attacks the party help for Mr. Wayne by WaynePowers, but it serves only as a distraction for part of the Jokerz gang to successfully steal the peice of equipment they need. Bruce Wayne is stunned seeing the Joker alive and they meet face to face. Batman arrives on the scene to scare off the Joker and his crew.

What follows next is the most intense fifty minutes of just about any movie I’ve seen. Everything, save the fate of Nightwing, is revealed. What happened to Tim, Joker, Batman, all of them. It’s nice that the flashback is done in the newest animated style; TMS animated it beautifully. Even the Joker/Robin seqeunces are done to near perfection. Another thing that is absolutely astounding about this movie is its musical score. Kristopher Carter is able to provide us with a mix of techno and classical music, so deftly intertwines that in some moments, they blend togethor with the best of ease.

Paul Dini has written a killer script for the movie, and the script hits every mark exactly how it should. It impacts on emotion, on action and suspense, and on drama. He also got the Terry/Dana relationship just right, I think. I think they interacted perfectly in the club scenes, and you can get a sense that they have a beautiful relationship, but it’s just holding on by a thread. That one small thing can break the relationship. Throughout the series the relationship has been strained constantly, and they even split once, and inexplicably got back together.

The Jokerz gang is the first one that’s actually scary and intimidating. Every Joker in this group have their own unique attribute which they use deaftly, and they are able to use each other’s strenghts as well. The opening battle betwen Batman and the gang reflects this, although I was dissapointed how they handled themselves in the last battle. And, my god, the show off between Joker and Batman (both of them) just have to be seen to be believed. Dini made this so perfectly tense and they just keep going, never losing a step.

This movie is the things that dreams are made of, and you can’t miss it. I’m rarely excted so much about a simple movie, but this movie is just superb. Don’t miss it.___________________________________________________________________

EDITORIAL(by…uh…we’ll get back to you on that)

No! Really! We promise we’ll have a new editorial for the next issue!(Doesn’t anyone want to submit one! Anyone?)__________________________________________________________________

‘RETURN OF THE JOKER’ GIVEAWAY

We have a contest, just in time for Christmas! We’re trying to get people both more involved with the newsletter AND want to help them out at the same time. That said, we’re offering anyone that participates in our NO MAN’S ISLAND column a chance to win unedited copies of RETURN OF THE JOKER.

The way it works is as follows: vote for the two characters you’d like to vote off the island. Of the characters that are being cast off or even nominated in that particular issue, we will randomly select one of these characters for our contest. Anyone who voted for this character will be entered into a draw, according to the e-mail address from which their ballot was recieved. Every issue, we will randomly select one e-mail address (from a hat, to make it fair) and that participant, if willing, wins a copy of the unedited movie!

It is only possible to win once; you may vote for NO MAN’S ISLAND as often as you like, but you will only be entered into our RETURN OF THE JOKER giveaway if you are a subscriber and have not already won a copy in a previous voting session.

If the selected winner for whatever reason declines, the will be another draw for that same week. Each e-mail address can only win once! The catch? The winner, if agreeing, must provide a tape and enough money to cover postage ($5 American) of the tape to and from their place of residence. There will be no extra profit for us at BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER (as that would be illegal) or anything. We just want to get this movie out to more people as it’s not going to be definately released on tape just yet.

NOTE: I am not promoting the act of bootlegging videos and making a profit from it, I am merely looking for the cost of the tape and postage, so fans will be able to view the movie as it was supposed to be.

That said, let’s get voting! (And make sure to read the NO MAN’S ISLAND section below.

A number of rather important plots by the various cliques surfaced last week…the Batsquad, the GCPD, Ra’s Al Ghul, the Joker, and the fate of the Supa-Freakz all pulled out the big guns…or were found at the opposite end. Let’s hope that we get some clear images coming out of NO MAN’S ISLAND for this week…

…A WALTZ DOWN MEMORY LANE…

A WORD FROM THE CAST-AWAYS:KILLER CROC: “Now come on, what’s not to like about me? I’m the big, dumb brute that everyone loves! I can’t believe that venom-powered freak still survived and I got the boot. I swear, if I had a rock in my hands right now….razzin’…frazzin’…grrrrr…”THE VENTRILOQUIST/SCARFACE: “Dummy, I don’t gelieve ‘dis! You impudent old fart, this is all YOUR fault! And for the love of God, get your hand outa my gutt – I’m never gonna lose this wedgie now!”

* * * * * * * * * *

AND WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE:

“Y’see?” Oswald Cobblepot said, spinning an umbrella about in his hands while chewing on his cigarette holder, “I told you I wasn’t just sitting on my butt waiting to pounce the whole time. Like a hawk I watched over the GCPD, looking for weakness, and the admirable Mr. Hagen (under my employ) infiltrated their stronghold and VOILA! That potential problem was instantly solved. Who’s the bird-brain now, huh?” You are, Oswald. Like, come on – you are the most pompous buffoon on the island and we all know it. And telling your entire plan aloud to whomever may be hearing? VERY SMART. Bravo.

Bane had a meeting with the Penguin afterwards. “Bane, uh, nice to be reacquainted with your fine, massive self.”

“You called for me, Cobblepot?”

“Yes, I need you to eliminate the Bat for me. He’ll undoubtedly show up on my perch any time now, and quite frankly, he’s sniffing too close to my operations.”

Bane grunted and crossed his arms. “I’m not your gopher.”

Penguin cleared his throat. “No, but you ARE in my employ, so if you’d like to complete the terms set out in are agreement and recieve your reward, you must follow my every whim.” Bane wanted to kill the Penguin right there. He really did. But he held back, knowing that Ra’s, his true ‘master’ for the moment, had asked him to wait until the right time to strike. Bane left the room without saying a word, still retaining some sense of dignity. “Ha!” Penguin grinned, “I’ll have this city pecking out of the palm of my hand.”

Clayface chuckled to himself from within the brick masonry at the GCPD as Montoya returned to her post outside of Arnold Wesker’s cell. It took her a second to realize something was terribly awry. “Oh my God,” she gasped in spanish, tearing open the cell to inspect Wesker’s lifeless frame one the ground, covered with pale dry shades of mud. “Commissioner! Harvey! Anne!”

Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock arrived at the jail cell seconds later. “Rene?” And then they realized what had happened. Taking his pulse at the neck, Gordon quickly confirmed that he was dead. “Where was Anne? Wasn’t she here when you left? Where is she now?”

“Right here,” a hyperbolically dainty female voice said from within. The three heads of the cops within the cell cocked upwards instantaneously. A second later the brick wall across the wall from them exploded, the force of which knocking the three of them onto their backs; bricks and cement splintered and flew in all directions, the cell door closed and locked shut, and a tidal wave of stomach-wrenching clay cascaded around them until there was complete silence.

“Haw-veyyyy, I’m borrrrrred…” Harley whined, sitting on the plush couch in what was previously Rupert Thorne’s office. “We’ve been here for far too long and there’s nothing. I wanna go back home. I’m hungry.” She sobbed. “And I miss my puddin’.” The noxious odour of gasoline was getting to her.

“We’re nearly done, Quinn,” Two-Face said, not even looking in her correction while covering his nose. “Crane, you ready?”

“Yeah, I have everything we came for. I’m ready.”

Two-Face turned back to Harley. “Alright, let’s get outa here.” The three of them quickly evacuated Thorne’s office tower and, just as they hit the street, the Scarecrow threw a lighter back into the gasoline soaked mess; within seconds the entire skyscraper was bursting in fantastic flames.

“So now what,” Harley whimpered in fatigue as Two-Face slung his arm over her shoulder. The Scarecrow hovered at their side.

Two-Face scratched his temple with his handgun. “First we go home and get some rest. Then we take down Cobblepot. After that, the only threat to us will be the Bat and Gordon, and they’re child’s play.” The Scarecrow grinned; perhaps now, finally, he’d have more use in this group than just Two-Face’s lackey.

About ten stories up, a lycra-clad female watched the insidious trio amble back down the empty street in the direction of City Hall. “Hmmmmm…” she purred, pondering for a moment, staring at her prey. Seconds later after pulling out her bullwhip, she silently disappeared into the night.

* * * * * * * * * *

AND AFTER A NINTH ROUND OF VOTING…

“JOKER…” a booming voice growled, echo rebounding off of the walls. “YOUR ANGEL OF DEATH AWAITS.”

The Joker sighed as he sat in the bathtub of whatever abandonned house he was currently calling home in Midtown. “For the love of…” he opened his eyes, the soapy bath water draining down his bleached face, “…just leave me be.”

The Phantasm emerged from the hallway and hovered as it entered the room. Puffs of smoke disappeared into thin air. Silence.

The Joker cocked an eyebrow. After a moment’s pause: “Come on, toots, say something. We’ve been through this whole charade before. Even Batman says more than you.”

The Phantasm lunged at the Joker and hit him across the jaw; a spit of blood spewed. “Don’t ever mention him to me.” Another sock to the jaw. “Got it?” The Joker groaned and between punches, and quickly shot up and out of the tub; the Phantasm tripped his naked frame and he fall down agains the toilet.

“Ack!” he belched out, accompanied with derrogatory profanities. “I’m insulted. Batman always sends the second-rate farm-team out to get me, never finding time in his busy schedule to do it himself.”

“I told you NOT to mention him.” The Phantasm bellowed, stepping down hard on his slippery ankle. “I know what you did last Sunday.” That was yesterday.

The Joker coughed, “What, the Ventriloquist thing? Riddler thing? Mad Hatter thing?” A light bulb clicked on. “I know! Harvey sent you, didn’t he?” He grabbed his oppenent’s mask and threw it into the dirty tub water. Andrea Beaumont scowled; she was only here to get comeuppance for the Joker’s ancient transgressions, no more. She covered her face with her forearm and quickly shot out a puff of smoke, filling the room.

“No…” she continued, “this is between you and me.” The Joker scrambled to the sink and grabbed a hair dryer in a futile attempt to clear the lung-burdening fog. Ducking, he kicked Andrea in the stomach; she stumbled back, slipped on the floor and fell into the tub with a loud clunk, her head hitting the metal rim. “Nnnnghh…”

The Joker scrambled to his feet, grinning. “Hmmmm, this is a very rare opportunity. It’s always adds a tinge of tragedy when the heroine that dies is undeniably beautiful.” Andrea groaned, head submerged completely under the water, stunned; she listened to him cluck onward, grin, and then, daintily dropping the hair dryer into the tub. The world vibrated for a moment, then hit static, then went completely blank.

The Joker grunted, the cool bathroom air chilling his wet, naked body. “What, is everyone after ME now? I get no respect. No respect at all.”

Alfred Pennyworth was out and about town yesterday, running a mission between the Batsquad headquarters and the GCPD; however, when he approached the police headquarters, he noticed the absence of Jim Gordon – and, as any proper gentleman would, was quite appalled when Clayface attacked him and verbally abused him, keeping him from entering. Pennyworth made a bee line back to the Batcave and notified Batman immediately. The Dark Knight took personal offense to this unwarranted attack on his long time friend, and with all of his crew in tow, including Mr. Freeze, set out to rescue his plain-clothed allies.

Passing by Alfred’s M*A*S*H* unit, Robin noticed something. Nightwing quickly advanced past his body and found the body of the Huntress, lying in a tangled mess on the shattered earth. Theyall took a step back as they saw her motionless, scratched, and beaten body; holding back tears – which even for Batman was difficult – Nightwing inspected her body for any clues to her death. “She was beaten pretty bad…scratched from head to toe…looks like Catwoman had a really bad day.” Given Catwoman and Huntress’ numerous run-ins in the past few rounds of NO MAN’S ISLAND, it makes her even more likely a suspect.

“Alright,” Batman groaned. Outlining his plan, he continued, “Batgirl, take Huntress back to the cave where we can bury her properly. The rest of us will go to free Gordon. Then we’ll scour the city for Kyle and get some answers.” And so the disheartened Batsquad departed.

Two-Face cursed every profanity he could think of under his breath as he walked amidst the shattered pieces of City Hall and the surrounding buildings that were spread for blocks. “Crane! Quinn! Be ready for anything.” The three carefully crept through their savaged home turf, looking for any tresspassers; their feline follower remained a number of storeys above them, watching.

“”

The Scarecrow heard it first. He ran over to the slowly writhing body and found it to be none other than the beaten and bruised body of the Riddler. “Edward,” he said, smacking his face to wake him up – a little too hard, “what happened?”

“Nnnnngh…” he groaned, pointing off into the distance, at a cylindrical box in the City Hall foyer.

Two-Face and Harley went over to inspect the hat box; they pulled off the top and found the body of the Mad Hatter stuffed within, still inside. “Gawd,” he grunted, staring down at the unconscious body; he looked over to the side and saw the Scarface puppet sitting in the rubble – (the same one the Joker planted there).

Quickly pulling his silver dollar out of his pocket, he stated, “I knew it was a risk to include you two in our gang. And now your own former leader tries to take us down – so all of this damage, destruction, is your fault. Call it in the air, comrades.” And he flipped.

“H-h-heads…” Edward groaned before passing out.

And the coin landed. Tails. Two-Face stood for a moment and then promptly walked over to the hat-box and buried two bullets inside Tetch’s cranium. Harley cowered in the corner, upset at the gruesome turn of events; Scarecrow smiled wryly as Two-Face walked over to the Riddler’s body.

Congratulations to our subscriber at Todd Betzag for winning an unedited copy of RETURN OF THE JOKER! Now don’t forget to vote, the rest of you!

E-mail juno@dccnet.com with your votes of the TWO you’d like to see cast off. Remember, we need TWO choices! (I stress that again. TWO!)

PS – Voting for this issue closes at midnight (PST) on January 12, 2001.___________________________________________________________________BATMAN: THE ANIMATED TRIVIA(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)

This is one of my favourite sections, where I get to boggle the minds of all our readers!(Mwuhahaha!) This trivia is all animated-related in some form, and can deal with ANY aspect of the show or comics based on the show. Remember, answer the questions WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANIMATED CONTINUITY. Now have fun – let’s see how well you do! Answers are provided below.

HAVE YOU BEEN READING YOUR ANIMATED BAT-BOOKS LATELY? PROVE YOUR WORTH AND DO WELL ON THIS TEST! You have one hour.

466. Since August 2000, how many different writers have their been contributing to the animated Bat-books?

A: TwoB: ThreeC: FourD: FiveE: Six

467. Name one of the three cover-artists that drew the Scarecrow on the cover of a comic.

Answer: ____________

468. Who does Bruce Wayne meet that gives him a look into “what could have been” if his parents weren’t shot when he was a boy?

A: The Phantom StrangerB: The Phantom MenaceC: The PhantasmD: DeadmanE: The Mad Hatter

469. What is Terminal’s civilian identity?

A: Harvey Dent, IIB: Howard GrooteC: Carter WilsonD: Deidra DennisE: He’s just some Jokerz member with no name

470. Who once pretends to puke in order to display how smelly Clayface is?

A: Maxie Zeus makes his return to animated comicdom for the first time in over five yearsB: Nightwing can be seen playing more video games on the BatcomputerC: A man confronts Zeus about the irony in his love for Rome, as his gimmick is rooted in Greek mythologyD: Thunderbolts are strangely absent from Zeus’ latest criminal endeavourE: All of the above

473. According to BGA#33, if Thomas and Martha Wayne weren’t shot, perhaps the following may have been true:

A: Catwoman would exist, but murder for jewelsB: Tim Drake would work for the JokerC: Harvey Dent would never get hit half of his face torn off, and Two-Face (or his bad side) would never surfaceD: Oswald Cobblepot and Bruce Wayne would go to prviate school together in ParisE: Dick Grayson would rob Alfred in an alley one night

474. In which of the following recent BATMAN BEYOND comics does Terry comment on how he often finds himself talking to himself?

Here is a section that just points out various little facts and bloopers that we have noticed while watching BTAS, STAS and BEYOND countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!

CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:We got nuthin’.

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:(by “Lady Wayne”)1) In YOU SCRATCH MY BACK, watch where Catwoman is breaking all of the ceramic pots to find the one that holds the emerald. When Nightwing arrives and they stare at each other, the camera pulls back, not showing a single shattered pot on the ground. What’s up with that?

2) Also in YOU SCRATCH MY BACK, after Batman’s fight with Ricky the Hook you see that he is bleeding from the mouth; in a later scene, he’s not. Where’d it go?____________________________________________________________________MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE(by THX1138)

BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER REVIEW(courtesy of Michael Wolf at DailyRadar.com)

The next-generation Batman isn’t so hot on the current-generation handheld. It’s not as if we can honestly say we agree with the thought of Batman Beyond. After all, Batman is Bruce Wayne, not some punk upstart who’s just following in the Dark Knight’s footsteps. Besides, everyone knows that Batman should have died young and healthy, not become an old and decrepit man grudgingly teaching some kid how to do his old job. Regardless, the GBC version of the game will likely attract the attention of those who enjoy the animated television series, but hopefully those players will read this review first and avoid a purchase. Don’t do it. Keep your money, or at least spend it on something that’s actually worth your time. Because, quite simply, Batman Beyond on GBC is a waste of electronic components.

The game contains the key players of the animated series, of course — young Batman and his mentor Bruce Wayne. The game starts off with Batman interrupting the robbery of a high-tech company by the Jokerz, the henchmen of the immortal Joker. How many times does Batman, in any incarnation, have to kill the grinning bastard?

Apparently, the Joker is up to no good, collecting high-tech components to further his nefarious plans. Part of those plans include nearly killing the aged Bruce Wayne, and players have to use Batman to uncover the Joker’s plan and, naturally, stop it cold.

The game is actually slightly reminiscent of the first side-scrolling action games, like Double Dragon. Players move Batman left to right, and bad guys come out of nowhere to challenge his progress. Periodically on a level, the game will contain Batman in an enclosed area where he must defeat all the bad guys before the “Go” sign flashes, indicating he can now move on. This is old-school gameplay, and hardly inspiring.

There are plenty of resources at the player’s command, however. Batman picks up powerups like the magnetic nunchaku, the Dark Knight discus and the Dark Knight staff. These usually have only limited charges, and players can find them scattered about levels in crates (because, obviously, even the most out-of-the-way locations stock Batman supplies).

The locations are varied, but the gameplay gets old after the first five minutes. Some levels have numerous doors that lead to other areas that look almost identical, so players get almost instantly lost. The password save doesn’t pop up until players are killed, so in order to make sure players keep the three lives they’re initially given at the start of the game, it’s necessary to write down the new password at the beginning of any given level.

While we commend Kemco for the involving storyline and pretty still images that convey the story, the gameplay itself leaves quite a bit to be desired. In no time at all, players will want to use the Game Boy cart for Baterang practice, and those who truly love the animated series will find nothing but disappointment here. Avoid this one at all costs.

Bottom Line: Unoriginal gameplay and tiresome enemies make this one game even the Joker wouldn’t force on his worst enemy.

I’m pleased to see that this series is on a bit of an upswing. It still has a long way to go, mind you – Bader and the BEYOND crew is still working on getting into their niche, here – but they’re on the right track.

featuring “Kobra” was a nice read, harkening back to the great but severely underrated BTAS episode “THE FORGOTTEN”. It’s not often we see the issue of the homeless addressed, whether it be in contemporary or future Gotham. Kobra’s plan beef up this chapter of their gang, though misguided, is a good one – I would have liked to see this story play out onscreen rather than just be confined to the pages of a comic book. Bruce Wayne’s involvement in the issue was great, too, especially with his “too old” comment. He really does have a sense of humour under that gruff exterior – maybe now in his old age it will finally come out.

Though I often complain about too much dialogue during action sequences (and I have a similar complaint here, unfortunately), I enjoyed how Terry realized this and threw in a bit of self-mockery. That was a nice touch.

I must also query what inspired the creation of Kobra to begin with…someone here is a fan of G.I. Joe, aren’t they? (This actually works as a type of homage – long live the 80’s!)

This section gives a little bit more in-depth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and BATMAN BEYOND. Below each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE!

The price for any of these issues, unless otherwise posted, is $1.99 in the US and…grrrrr…a whopping $3.25 (or higher) in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the “grrr”.)

If we are unsure of the exact date of when an issue is being released, just check out “DIRECT CURRENTS” at //www.dccomics.com for details.

-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #35February 7thSynopsis: Bruce Wayne finds himself on the jury of a man he helped capture, and worse yet, the perpetrator is about to go free! What can Bruce possibly do that Batman can’t?Cover: //www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/BGothAd35.jpg

FOLLOWING MONTH:March 7thSynopsis: Superman is tracking down a Metropolis mobster who’s hiding out in Gotham, but he needs the help of Gotham’s hometown hero on his search!Cover: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249711.jpg

BATMAN BEYOND #17January 31stSnyopsis: A former classmate comes back looking for revenge after being brushed off by Dana. But Batman Terry McGinnis won’t let one hair of Dana’s head be harmed, even if it means being swamped by rats.Cover: //www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0010/17/BB17.jpg

ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER-An interview with Jeph Loeb regarding DARK VICTORY can be found here://www.fandom.com/master_site/Editorial.asp?obj_id=247008&aff_id=0-An interview with Mark Hamill regarding RETURN OF THE JOKER can be found here://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0012/14/hamill.htm-Keep watching MuchMusic and MTV, Bat-fans! Mephisto Odyssey’s music video for “Crash” is now airing, and it features a number of shots from RETURN OF THE JOKER within the video.-The following artists are selling artwork on eBay. The following are their names and Seller ID’s:Terry Beatty: beatty@machlink.comCraig Rousseau: cerousseauTim Levins: tlevinsMin S. Ku: min3000gt

ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS, STAS, BEYOND)-BATMAN BEYOND has not been cancelled for next season (2001-2002), though it is still unconfirmed if new episodes will be produced or not; if not, expect a number of the current season three episodes to be held over. Either way, BEYOND will be on the programming block next season.-In related news, THE ZETA PROJECT may be debuting in January. (I doubt it.)-Regarding the forthcoming JLA series, CINESCAPE and COMICS2FILM had this to say:Long rumored, now details of the developing series have turned up on Comics 2 Film. One of the site’s sources close to the production revealed what the line-up of the DC Comics super hero team supreme will be. Here’s what C2F reports the roster will be:SUPERMAN: Portrayed as a natural leader. He’s a bit of a boy scout, but without being cheesy about it.BATMAN: The show will play up the Dark Knight’s detective skills as opposed to the brooding, somber creature-of-the night take that’s been used in the other animated shows.WONDER WOMAN: The Amazon princess angle will be emphasized. Wonder Woman is new to man’s world. She sometimes displays a condescending attitude towards others.THE FLASH: The Flash is Wally West under the mask. The character is more a mix of West and Bart Allen/Impulse. The Flash is seen as a fun-loving, impulsive guy.GREEN LANTERN: This Green Lantern is John Stewart. He’s been hand-picked by the Guardians to be the Green Lantern for this sector. Stewart has spent a number of years in space and only recently returned to Earth. He sees himself as a very experienced cop and tends to look down on the rest of the JLA as amateurs. He has little understanding or tolerance for earthly prejudices and petty injustices.MARTIAN MANHUNTER: The last survivor of an underground Martian race. Martian Manhunter is the only one who lives in the JLA watchtower full time.HAWKGIRL: A member of the Thanagarian police. Hawkgirl is transported to Earth by a mysterious beam (we’re told it’s not called a zeta-beam in the show, but it’s basically the same concept). She has deductive skills that even Batman is impressed by, but also has that warrior woman side to her.In addition, C2F reports that the team will operate out of a satellite orbiting the Earth. Aquaman will make an appearance, though he will not be a part of the program’s regular team. Expected villains include the Manhunters, Despero and Vandal Savage.

ANIMATED COMICS-Craig Rousseau has put this inked comic page on his website: it was cut from the RETURN OF THE JOKER comic adaption due to space restraints (or possible “censoring”, again – you be the judge). Go have a look!//www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanArticle251339.jpg-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #36Written by Scott Peterson; art by Tim Levins and Terry Beatty; cover by Bob Smith and BeattyGuest-starring Superman! The Man of Steel is tracking down a Metropolis mobster who`s hiding out in Gotham, but he needs the help of Gotham`s hometown hero on his search! Besides, only Batman knows where to get the best Italian food in Gotham at 4 a.m.!Ships March 7, 2001.Cover: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249711.jpg-BATMAN BEYOND #18Written by Hilary Bader, art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh, cover by Brian Stelfreeze.With the Stalker’s help, Blight returns to terrorize Future Gotham.Ships February 28, 2001.Cover: //www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/BB18.jpg-BATMAN BEYOND #19Written by Hilary Bader; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Brian StelfreezeMa Mayhem`s boys, Carl and Slim, have just busted their dear old Ma out of jail so they can spend some time with her – oh, and perhaps plan a kidnapping or two! This dysfunctional family is up to no good, and it`s up to Batman to put an end to their family reunion!Ships March 28, 2001.

OTHER COMICS-Canadian comic prices are going up, which is odd considering the exchange rate and the American prices haven’t changed. Apparently, this could happen as soon as this coming Wednesday. Anyhow, here’s a list of what the prices WERE and what they WILL be:$3.50 now $3.75$3.95 now $4.25$4.50 now $4.85-It looks like Devin Grayon’s Mr. Zsasz story in GOTHAM KNIGHTS #12 as part of the THIS ISSUE: BATMAN DIES! theme this month was…excuse the pun…cut. What happened??? In it’s place is a story prominantly featuring Oracle.-The Rucka/Loeb Detective Comics/Superman crossover is described as this:Batman returns to terrorize President Lex Luthor, demanding he hand over the Kryptonite Ring in SUPERMAN #168 (due out March 7). In DETECTIVE COMICS #756 (due out March 21), Lois Lane enlists in Batman’s help to continue with his quest, but Superman stands in his way.Cover for SUPERMAN #168: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249720.jpgCover for ‘TEC #765: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249707.jpg-Batman/Matches Malone’s hunt for the Ventriloquist/Scarface continues in part two of the three part “Close Before Striking” in BATMAN #589.-LOTDK #141: The conclusion of the 5-part “Terror.” The Scarecrow unleashes the ultimate deathtrap for Batman, in the Horror House redesigned with only one purpose – to destroy the Dark Knight! But the Scarecrow hasn`t counted on Hugo Strange who rises from the dead yet again to kill both Batman and Scarecrow.Cover: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249706.jpg-BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #15: Poison Ivy escapes Arkham and heads for a “Save the Rainforest” benefit where she decides to take a few hostages — including Robin`s father, Jack Drake! When Batman and Robin arrive, they find the hostages now under Ivy`s control — and ordered by Ivy to attack!Cover: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249708.jpg-The fifth and final tradepaperback reprinting the NO MAN’S LAND saga (featuring the return of Lex Luthor and rampage of the Joker in SHELLGAME and ENDGAME) will be available in March 2001.Cover: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249715.jpg-DETECTIVE COMICS #755: All the GCPD says farewell to one of Gotham’s Finest – including Two-Face – but it can’t be long before he causes problems again. Oh, Bruce and his bodyguard are there, too!//www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/Det755.jpg-Double Dare, the Penguin, and Nightwing all appear in GOTHAM KNIGHTS #14. Oh, and look – Paul Dini is writing the back-up story!-HARLEY QUINN #6: Harley attempts to rob Bruce Wayne. (The cover makes it look like a Riddler issue, though. Hmm.)Cover: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249717.jpg-Be on the lookout for ROBIN #87 – Batman and Robin have a tiff!-ROBIN: YEAR ONE #4The final chapter in the saga of young Dick Grayson. Robin’s healed, but Two-Face remains at large, and a city-wide manhunt is falling woefully short. While Harvey Dent is on the loose, Robin must prepare himself to face the man who nearly killed him during their first encounter. But when Robin takes things too far, a life hangs in the balance and Robin must question the sanctity of his actions.Cover: //www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0010/17/RobinYO4.jpg

MOVIES-For videos of the cut scenes from the edited ROTJ video, go here://4colorreview.simplenet.com/reviews/return_of_the_joker/return_of_the_joker.shtml-THE UNCUT VERSION OF RETURN OF THE JOKER MAY BE APPEARING ON VIDEO SHELVES AFTER ALL! (taken from DARK HORIZONS):Well the official word has come down from the head of WB Animation to Aint it Cool about the chance of the uncut version popping up sometime on DVD next year: “Definitely STILL a chance, we won’t have an answer till after the first of the year. We already have meetings scheduled to discuss this issue with Warner Home Video and that hope is still very much alive. I really hope we can do something with the original version and we should know right after the first of the year one way or another”.-Paul Dini has begun writing a preliminary screenplay for a second direct-to-video BATMAN BEYOND movie (therefore being the fourth animated Bat-movie.) EON MAGAZINE spilled the beans:“Dini, who wrote the troubled Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, revealed, ‘I’m in the middle of writing up an outline for another Batman Beyond that we are going to look at. I don’t know if we are going to put it into production, but I know [Warner Bros.] Home Video is really interested in at least looking at the story and a screenplay for another one. As far as release date, there’s nothing set. But you never say never.'”Perhaps this will feature Dick Grayson, as many fans are anticipating?

*BATMAN BEYOND: LIVE ACTION NEWS:-No new news here.

*BATMAN: YEAR ONE (BATMAN 5) NEWS:-Read a new interview with Darren Aronofsky here://www.fandom.com/batman/editorial.asp?action=page&obj_id=248753-The WB is starting to warm up to the idea of a Bat-flick again. Read the article, found here://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6595,93617,00.html

LIVE ACTION TELEVISION-No new news here.

EXCLUSIVE INTERNET ENDEAVOURS:-The eighth GOTHAM GIRLS webisode entitled “Three Babes” (it’s a Goldilocks parody) can be found at //www.gothamgirls.com-The ninth GOTHAM GIRLS webisode entitled “Lady X” can also be seen. It features…get this…all the gals in the sauna. Yeah. Might as well go take a look, huh?

TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE-For a review of Ubi Soft’s RETURN OF THE JOKER video game, go here://www.fandom.com/master_site/Editorial.asp?action=page&obj_id=252097&type_id=12255&cat_id=245096&sub_id=246638-WARNER BROS. HOME VIDEO had this to say about episodes of BTAS being released on DVD:“Don’t be surprised to see some DVDs and VHSs containing episodes and new (!) material when the next BATMAN film is released.”-TOYS R US has released a new 4-pack from its BTAS line featuring repaints of Batman, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn; the only figure that is still in the new style is Two-Face, all others are just repaints of their original BTAS figure counterparts. For a pic, go here://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bin/viewimage.x/00000000/eghedd/arkhamasylum.JPG-Two prints by ALEX ROSS will be out for sale by DC Direct on March 7, 2001. One will be the picture seen on the cover of BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN (from Aug 99), and the other will be the one used by WIZARD magazine, featuring Batman being surrounded by 10 of Arkham’s worst inmates. Both are 10″ x 13″.-A Batman poster by Alex Ross will be available on April 25, 2001, for only $7.95.Here’s a picture: //www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages249721.jpg-A statue of The Demon is due out on June 20, 2001. Here’s a picture://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/DemonFig.htm-BATMAN: OVERDRIVE, the new BTAS-based game for PSX and N64, puts you in the driver’s seat of the Batmobile, Batcycle, and many other Bat-vehicles. You even get to play as any of the villains, should you desire to do so! It features (in no particular order), the Joker, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Clayface, Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, Killer Croc, the Penguin, the Mad Hatter, the Ventriloquist/Scarface, Calendar Girl, Roxie Rockett, Firefly, Catwoman, and Bane. Go to the following link to see some shots of the villain lineup, some shots of Batman persuing the Joker, and the exit to the Batcave.//www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/driving/batov_uk/preview.html-BATMAN: TOTAL CHAOS will be available for Game Boy Colour on January 18, 2001. It is based on the NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES style (BTAS), and allows you to play as either Batman or Batgirl vs. Two-Face, Bane, Poison Ivy, and the Joker (among others) over 18 levels. (Judging by the pics I’ve seen, you’ll also encounter Mr. Freeze, the Penguin, and maybe even Killer Croc.)

SPECIAL NOTEFor more BATMAN, SUPERMAN, AND BEYOND news throughout the week, check out the WORLD’S FINEST NEWS PAGE at://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/news.html____________________________________________________________________

FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE(feel free to submit your own for our consideration)

If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else, then please e-mail this address with your problems and we’ll try to fix them as soon as possible. Also if you’d like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:

juno@dccnet.com

As for submissions, feel free to submit an article or opinion on anything pertaining to BTAS. Keep in mind that as the editors, we have the right to edit your submissions if we deem it necessary. Such instances would include problems with length, grammar, and language. If we do feel we must edit something, however, we will do our utmost to ensure that the opinion and the basic message of the submission does not change, as that is the most important part of any article, and everyone is entitled to it. And if you do submit something, please don’t just submit a basic review of an episode or a comic or something (because we have people writing for those purposes already) – write about an issue you’d like to discuss.____________________________________________________________________BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES

The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of their huge and diverse website. The archive contains past newsletters and is semi-regularly updated with the latest one. To check it out go here:

For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section and want to subscribe, just follow these simple instructions:

To subscribe email juno@dccnet.com, put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line, and put the e-mail address you’d like the newsletter to be sent to in the body of the message.

For more information about the newsletter just email juno@dccnet.comThank you for your time, and thanks for reading! Tell your friends!

-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson, editors____________________________________________________________________TO ALL GOOD THINGS……there must be an end. We would like to thank the endless amount of contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it! Thank you for reading! See ya next time!

Batman and all related indicia are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 2000.___________________________________________________________________

2000 “GOLDEN OVAL AWARDS” POLL FORM

Alright! Fill this out and e-mail it right back to juno@dccnet.com if you’d like to be included in our poll for the best and worst of 2000! We must recieve entries by February 3, 2001, as results will be posted in our issue delivered on January 5, 2001. And, why not, just as in the NO MAN’S ISLAND section, we’ll select one of our voters to win a copy of RETURN OF THE JOKER here, too.

BUUUUT you can only vote once!

NOTE: No episodes of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES are eligible, and only BATMAN BEYOND episodes that came out in 2000 (BABEL was the first (Episode #25), and they continued on from there) will be considered. Do NOT include RETURN OF THE JOKER in this section; ROTJ has its own section of the form later on.

As for the comic series’, all issues of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES from #22-33 are eligible, and all issues of BATMAN BEYOND from #4-15 are eligible. For the BTAN section, Issues #51-82 are eligible. (Long live the archives!)

RETURN OF THE JOKER#22. BEST ACTION SEQUENCE#23. BEST SCENE#24. BEST CHARACTER DESIGN#25. BEST PLOT TWIST/REVELATION#26. BEST VOICE ACTOR#27. BEST MUSICAL SEQUENCE#28. THE CUT MADE TO THE FILM THAT YOU CAN LIVE WITH#29. THE CUT MADE TO THE FILM THAT DROVE YOU CRAZY#30. SHOULD THE FILM HAVE BEEN CUT TO BEGIN WITH?#31. WAS ROTJ A GOOD MOVIE, IN YOUR OPINION?#32. NOW THAT TERRY HAS DEFEATED THE JOKER, DO YOU SEE HIM AS A WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO BRUCE WAYNE AS BATMAN?

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER#48. BEST ONGOING ARTICLE/SECTION#49. WORST ONGOING ARTICLE/SECTION#50. WHAT YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THE MOST IN EACH ISSUE#51. WHAT YOU LOATHE THE MOST IN EACH ISSUE#52. WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST HELPFUL?#53. WHAT STILL NEEDS SOME TWEAKING?#54. ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE ISSUES?#55. SHOULD WE HAVE MORE CONTESTS?#56. BEST “BTAN” ISSUE